Assembly Polls 2021: EC announces dates, eight phases in Bengal; counting on May 2

Chief Election Commission Sunil Arora along with his colleagues held a Press Conference on Friday to announce the schedule for upcoming Assembly elections in four states. Polls in West Bengal will be held in eight phases.

Polls are to be held for 294 seats in West Bengal, 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, 140 seats in Kerala, 126 seats in Assam, and 30 seats in Puducherry. After the Bihar assembly elections, which were held in November 2020, elections to these states will also be held amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Election Commission is expected to implement a similar protocol for voting. While the elections will begin with voting on March 27 in Assam and West Bengal, results will b announced on May 02. 

Bengal: 294 seats

First phase (30 seats) - March 27
Second phase (30 seats) - April 1
Third phase (31 seats) - April 6
Fourth phase (44 seats) - April 10
Fifth phase (45 seats) - April 17
Sixth phase (43 seats) - April 22
Seventh phase (36 seats) - April 26
Eighth phase (35 seats) - April 29

Assam: 126 seats

First phase - March 27
Second phase - April 1
Third phase - April 6

Tamil Nadu (234 seats) - April 6
Puducherry (30 seats) - April 6
Kerala (140 seats) - April 6

Counting - May 2

West Bengal:

Elections in West Bengal will be held in eight phases, CEC Sunil Arora announced. Voting will be held on– March 27, April 01, April 06, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26, and April 29.

Election results will be announced on May 2.

Incidentally, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee convened a working committee meeting immediately after the dates were announced at her Kalighat residence. Details of the meeting are awaited.